Migratio New Zealand · Guides · Find advisers · For advisers

NZ Visa Fees 2026: The Main Visa Costs in One List

Immigration New Zealand's fee finder showed these main application costs on 9 October 2026: visitor visa NZD 441, AEWV 1,540, Fee Paying Student 850, Post-Study Work 1,670, residence under the Skilled Migrant, Straight to Residence and Work to Residence visas 6,450, and Partner of a New Zealander Resident 5,360. Each is a stated amount for the passports and places queried.

This list collects the application costs Immigration New Zealand (INZ) publishes for the main New Zealand visas and related applications, with the conditions under which each figure was read. INZ publishes the figures through its "fees, decision times and where to apply" finder, which every visa page calls. A reader gets one figure at a time, for one passport and one place of residence. This page puts many of them side by side so the scale of the government charges can be seen in one place.

Method matters because INZ's finder gives different answers to different questions. The figures below were read on 9 October 2026 by querying the finder for a passport from India applying from India, a passport from India applying from within New Zealand, a United Kingdom passport applying from the United Kingdom and a Philippines passport applying from the Philippines, plus a few other passports where stated. For the online applications listed, the four queries returned the same amount in every case. Paper applications did not: for several temporary visas the paper fee differs by passport and by where you apply from, so check the fee finder for your own passport and country before you post a paper application. So this list uses the online fee throughout. Run INZ's finder for a paper application, or for any passport not listed, before relying on a figure.

Every figure is a "from" amount in New Zealand dollars. It is the INZ charge only. It does not include a licensed immigration adviser's fee, medical examinations, police certificates, translations, English tests, courier costs or, for study, tuition. This is a reference list of published costs; it does not suggest which visa suits any person.

How to read an INZ fee

INZ's fee finder describes the standard "Application cost" for most visas in the same words: "This is the charge for Immigration New Zealand to process your application. We do not refund application costs if we decline your application." It adds that "A non-refundable immigration levy is charged and is included in the cost." So the amount shown already includes the immigration levy, and it is not returned if the application is declined.

Where a visa carries the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL), INZ says so in the same description. The visitor visa description says: "Each person must pay an International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) of NZD $100. This is included in the cost." The Fee Paying Student, Parent Boost, working holiday and NZeTA descriptions include the same NZD 100. INZ's Australian Resident Visa page says the visa does not carry the IVL.

Two other points. Some visas have more than one stage, such as an expression of interest followed by a residence application. And fees can change, so each figure below carries the date it was read. The citizenship fees are set by the Department of Internal Affairs, not INZ, and changed on 28 August 2026; they are in their own section.

Visiting and travelling

  • Visitor Visa: NZD 441, with the IVL of NZD 100 included. INZ shows 80% of applications completed within 2 weeks. The same NZD 441 appeared for the Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa and the Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa.
  • Partner of a New Zealander Visitor Visa: NZD 341 (online), 80% within 7 weeks.
  • Parent Boost Visitor Visa: NZD 3,100, including the IVL. INZ shows the processing time as "Expected to be around 4 months" and notes that applications opened on 29 September 2025.
  • NZeTA (travel authority for visa-waiver travellers): NZD 117 through the mobile app or NZD 123 through the online form, including the IVL. INZ says to allow 72 hours. When the finder was queried with an Australian passport it returned NZD 17 and NZD 23.
  • Visa Waiver Visitor Visa, granted at the border to people with an NZeTA: NZD 0, with the NZeTA charged separately.
  • Australian Resident Visa, granted at the border: NZD 0.
  • Variation of conditions on a visitor visa: NZD 325, 80% within 4.5 weeks.

INZ's visitor visa page notes that from 1 October 2026 applications for that visa must be made online. The guide to visitor visas and the NZeTA sets out what each is for.

Study and graduate work

  • Fee Paying Student Visa: NZD 850, including the IVL. 80% within 7 weeks.
  • Dependent Child Student Visa: NZD 750 (online), 80% within 8 weeks.
  • Variation of conditions on a student visa: NZD 325, 80% within 2.5 weeks.
  • Post-Study Work Visa: NZD 1,670 (online), 80% within 5 weeks.
  • Short-Term Graduate Work Visa: not listed in INZ's finder on 9 October 2026. INZ's news item of 29 May 2026 says applications open on Monday 16 November 2026 and that further details will be published closer to that date; check the INZ visa page for the fee once it is published.

Student visa processing times in the finder and on the wait-times page differ in how they are measured; see the guide to processing times.

Work visas and employer fees

  • Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV): NZD 1,540, 80% within 5 weeks.
  • Job check application: NZD 735.
  • Standard accreditation: NZD 775.
  • High-volume accreditation: NZD 1,280. Upgrade from standard to high-volume accreditation: NZD 505.
  • Partner of a Worker Work Visa: NZD 1,630 (online), 80% within 7 weeks.
  • Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa: NZD 1,630 (online), 80% within 6.5 weeks.
  • Partner of a Student Work Visa: NZD 1,630 (online), 80% within 6 weeks.
  • Specific Purpose Work Visa: NZD 1,455 (online), 80% within 3 weeks.
  • Variation of conditions on a work visa: NZD 325, INZ's approximate time 2 weeks.
  • Working holiday visas: NZD 770 for the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Ireland, Korea, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, China, Philippines and Vietnam passports when queried, including the IVL; NZD 100 (the IVL only) for Japan and for the United States, where INZ's description reads "Citizens of Japan do not have to pay a fee or immigration levy for this application." (with "USA" in place of "Japan" for the United States). Other countries' schemes were not queried. INZ shows 80% within 2 weeks.

The job check and accreditation products are listed in the finder separately from the migrant's AEWV. INZ's Accredited Employer Work Visa page says: "New Zealand employers or agents cannot charge you fees for a job or make you pay any of their recruitment costs." The guide to AEWV job-offer scams covers that warning.

Residence visas

  • Skilled Migrant Category: no fee to submit an expression of interest ("There is no fee to submit an EOI"); NZD 6,450 for the residence application.
  • Straight to Residence Visa: NZD 6,450, 80% within 3 months.
  • Work to Residence Visa: NZD 6,450.
  • Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa: NZD 6,450.
  • Transport Work to Residence Visa: NZD 6,450.
  • Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa: NZD 5,360, 80% within 7 months (the same online and on paper).
  • Dependent Child Resident Visa: NZD 3,230, 80% within 7 months.
  • Parent Resident Visa: NZD 450 for the expression of interest and NZD 5,360 for the residence application, with 80% of selected applications within 11 months.
  • Permanent Resident Visa: NZD 315, 80% within 2 weeks.
  • Active Investor Plus Visa: NZD 27,470 for the application. INZ shows an approval in principle at 80% within 11 weeks, and NZD 0 at the funds-transfer stage.
  • Variation of travel conditions on a resident visa: NZD 320, 80% within 3 weeks.

The Work to Residence processing time is blank in the finder and the SMC finder shows both a current time and a time for applications under the previous criteria. Those are discussed in the processing times guide.

Declines, reconsideration and special requests

  • Reconsideration of a declined temporary visa (visitor, student, work or other): NZD 220, with INZ's time at 80% within 4 weeks for the visitor, student and general temporary products.
  • Reconsideration of a declined AEWV application: NZD 220.
  • Reconsideration of a declined job check or AEWV accreditation: NZD 250 each.
  • Request for temporary entry under section 61: NZD 640. Request for a residence class visa under section 61: NZD 1,510. INZ's note says the section 61 fee "is only required if we will grant you a visa, and is not an application fee". The finder shows the time for both as "Data not available".
  • Request for a special direction: NZD 260.
  • Interim Visa: NZD 0, granted automatically the day after the previous visa expires.
  • Transfer of an eVisa to a new passport: NZD 0, 80% within 2.5 weeks.

Appeals to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal have their own fee set outside INZ's finder; see the guide to IPT residence appeals.

Citizenship fees (Department of Internal Affairs)

Govt.nz states: "From 28 August 2026, fees for all New Zealand citizenship products and services have increased." The figures read on 9 October 2026 are NZD 641 for citizenship by grant (adult aged 16 and over), NZD 320 for a child aged 15 and under, NZD 278 for registering citizenship by descent (adult or child) and NZD 525 or NZD 422 for descent registration with a passport. A replacement certificate and several other certificate services cost NZD 153, and renouncing citizenship costs NZD 542. The guide to citizenship by grant covers the requirements.

What these fees do not tell you

A fee in INZ's finder is the starting point and not the whole cost. A licensed immigration adviser's charge is separate, set by the adviser, and agreed in writing before work starts; the guide to adviser fees explains how. INZ pages also list evidence that costs money outside INZ, such as chest X-rays and medical examinations, police certificates, and English translations. The visitor visa page, for instance, says a chest X-ray is not normally needed for stays under 6 months and a medical certificate not normally for stays under 12 months, but INZ may ask for evidence later.

Fees and processing times are also not predictions. The fee shows what INZ charges to process an application and says nothing about whether the visa will be granted; INZ does not refund the application cost if it declines. Whether a visa suits a person's circumstances is advice for a licensed immigration adviser or lawyer.

Finding a licensed immigration adviser

Migratio lists licensed immigration advisers so you can compare them and contact one directly. Every listing shows the adviser's licence number, which you can check on the Immigration Advisers Authority's public register before you book. We don't assess cases and don't tell anyone which visa or pathway fits them; that is the adviser's job.

Questions people ask

How much does a New Zealand visitor visa cost?

INZ's fee finder showed NZD 441 on 9 October 2026, which includes the NZD 100 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. INZ shows 80% of applications completed within 2 weeks.

How much does NZ residency cost?

It depends on the visa. INZ showed NZD 6,450 for the Skilled Migrant Category, Straight to Residence, Work to Residence, Care Workforce and Transport residence applications, NZD 5,360 for Partner of a New Zealander Resident, NZD 3,230 for Dependent Child Resident and NZD 315 for a Permanent Resident Visa.

How much does an AEWV cost?

INZ's fee finder showed NZD 1,540 for the worker's Accredited Employer Work Visa. The employer pays separately for accreditation (NZD 775 standard, NZD 1,280 high-volume) and for a job check (NZD 735).

Does INZ refund the fee if a visa is declined?

INZ's fee descriptions say it does not refund application costs if it declines the application, and that a non-refundable immigration levy is included. The section 61 fee is different: INZ says it is only required if a visa will be granted.

Do NZ visa fees depend on the passport?

Online application fees were the same for the Indian, United Kingdom and Philippines passport queries on 9 October 2026. Working holiday fees varied by country scheme (NZD 100 for Japan and the United States, NZD 770 for others queried), and paper application figures varied by query. Run INZ's finder for the passport in question.

What does the International Visitor Levy cost?

INZ's fee descriptions state NZD 100 per person and say it is included in the visitor, student, Parent Boost, working holiday and NZeTA costs. INZ says it is not charged to transit passengers passing through Auckland, and not for the Australian Resident Visa.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • NZ Visa Processing Times: What INZ Publishes and How to Read It — Immigration New Zealand publishes processing times in two forms: an average wait time (50% of applications) and a most-completed-within figure (80%), in working days, updated weekly for applications processed in the last 4 weeks; and a separate 80% figure in its fee finder. On 9 October 2026 the two sources gave different numbers for some visas, so the source and date matter.
  • NZ Visitor Visa or NZeTA: How the Two Differ, Fees and the NZD 100 Levy — A Visitor Visa costs from NZD 441 and an NZeTA NZD 117 (app) or NZD 123 (online form), each including the NZD 100 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. An NZeTA is not a visa: INZ says it lets visa-waiver travellers visit without applying for a visa first, and a visa is still granted at the border.
  • What NZ Immigration Advisers Charge, and Why — There is no official price list. The Code of Conduct requires fees to be "fair and reasonable in the circumstances", set out in a written agreement (hourly rate with a time estimate, or a fixed fee, plus GST or overseas tax), and invoiced each time they fall due. INZ's own application fee is a separate cost.
  • NZ Citizenship by Grant: Fees, Requirements and Timeframes — From 28 August 2026 the Department of Internal Affairs charges NZD 641 for an adult (16 and over) and NZD 320 for a child to apply for citizenship by grant. Govt.nz lists three presence rules, an English requirement and a character requirement, and says 90% of applicants receive an outcome within 4 months of applying.
  • Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV): The 2026 Rules — The Accredited Employer Work Visa is New Zealand's main employer-sponsored work visa. The job must be full-time (30+ hours), with an accredited employer holding an approved job check, and paid at least the required rate. INZ showed a fee of NZD 1,540 and 80% of applications within 5 weeks on 9 October 2026. The longest continuous stay is 5 years, or 3 years for skill level 4 or 5 jobs.
  • Paying for an NZ Job Offer: What INZ Says — Immigration New Zealand says New Zealand employers or agents cannot charge a worker fees for a job or make them pay recruitment costs, and that it will decline an Accredited Employer Work Visa application if the applicant or their agent offered or promised money for a job offer. INZ calls job offer scams common in India and South Asia.
  • IPT Residence Appeals: 42 Days, NZD 964 and Form 1 — A declined residence class visa can be appealed to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal on the grounds that the decision was wrong and/or special circumstances. The Tribunal must receive Form 1 and the NZD 964 fee within 42 days of notification, it cannot extend that deadline, and appeals are currently taking 12 to 13 months.